upgrading my lathe

[big soft moose]

Hi Folks

while my M900 has done sterling work for about 8 years I am now coming to the conclusion that its a tad under powered and light for the work i want to do. ( for example it struggles when im using my kel centre saver , and vibrates like a ***** when turning out of centre logs)

of course ideally I'd like a VB36 , or a wiva mac bowl turner , or a LRE variturn graduate - but back in the real world these are all out of my price range.

I've also reluctantly decided that i'm not going to buy a second hand 3 phase graduate or wadkin and fit an inverter ( the sums just dont add up - by the time i'd done all the necessary i could have bought the LRE).

Back on planet real life i'm looking at either this from axminster
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axmi ... 781099.htm

this from jet

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Jet- ... -19826.htm

or possibly a record CL4

http://www.stilesandbates.co.uk/CMS/pro ... 157684963O

Tho i'm a bit concerned about vibration on the last one.

what do you folks think ?

and any other recomendations that come in under the £1k mark, are nice and solid, at least 1 Hp/.75 KW, and either have outboard turning, a swivel head, or a decent swing over the bed. ( and ideally are 1x8 tpi - though that isnt critical as i can reinsert my chucks if necessary)

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi BSM,

I can vouch for the Jet 1442:

I've had excellent service from it for about 4 years so far. It's good and heavy and has a much lower speed (360rpm) than many similar lathes.

You need to watch the dust build up inside but an occaisonal blast with an airline and hoover sees to that.

You can turn a 13" bowl without turning the headstock which I think is pretty good and I've used my bowlsaver on it with no problem (on dry wood):

Hope this is of some help.

I was thinking of upgrading but I can't really afford to at the moment, if you can wait about 9 months there may be one available :wink:

Cheers

Richard

 

[Neil Dyball]

Hi BSM,

I'm a relative novice, under 2 years turning, have had a CL4 for about 16 months and never had a problem with vibration. It's mounted on the Record stand with a bit of extra weight added, not bolted down though. I've turned a 16" out of balance elm burr "bowl blank" without any trouble and roughed several out large yew logs too.

Enjoy buying your new toy!

Neil.

 

[BMac]

1442 here.

I've had it 2 years and I'm really happy with it. A friend and I compared it with the Axminster (which is a very attractive lathe) and decided that the ability to swivel the headstock on the Jet was more valuable than the speed control on the Axminster. You could move the headstock on the Axminster to the end of the lathe for bigger stuff but if you are like me and have the lathe in a restricted space the ability to swivel the headstock is more convenient.

 

[cambournepete]

I can vouch for the Jet 1442

Seconded - I found Richard's lathe very smooth

You need to watch the dust build up inside but an occaisonal blast with an airline and hoover sees to that.

Hmmm, you don't say ... :wink:

 

[Turn It In]

Hi BSM,
I think you have posed quite a good question as to which lathe to buy next as we all have our favourites for the right or wrong reasons but if you look at your choises from an engineering point of view you see three very different machines with good and bad points.
Until you have experienced the benifits of a quality 3 phase motor on an inverter you you would not believe how smooth, vibration free, seemless speed control and in this day and age of economy cheaper to run as you do not switch them on at full power so you do not get surges that move your electricity meter on faster!
So looking at the three machines for power transmission the Record is far superior and the fact of having 5 belt ratios meens that you will not need to run the motor slow which can over heat a motor if you run it below half speed as the fan cannot push enough air past the motor to cool it.
The Jet 1442 as Richard has confirmed has performed well but you must consider that the variable speed is obtained by cone pulleys and these can wear out the belt and also themselves.
I use a Delta which has a a variable cone pulley drive and have had good results but after two years service it is now showing signs of getting noisy but its ease of use is great.
I have a Viceroy Bowl turner with a Crompton Parkinson motor 3 phase on an inverter and apart from the fact that the hollow steel cabinet that the motor is in rumbles a bit it runs smooth and quiet even with a large bowl blank on board.
I think you should keep looking round and comparing the engineering specifications and also possibly consider a second hand lathe from a better class manufacturer as they do come up for sale from time to time.
My main crib with the record is the fact of the small diameter head stock spindle at only 3/4 inch and the 1 Morse taper in head and tail stock.
I trust my comments have been useful to you and I would be happy to discuss at length any points I have raised.
I cannot pass comment on the Axminster with DC drive as I have never had a machine with a DC motor driving it but it too has two belt speeds which will be good for toque.
Best regards,
Ian

 

[Jenx]

Goodluck with your choosing BSM ... nice to be thinking of a new toy ! .
The electronic speed control on the Axi at the price does make it quite appealing ! good 'bulk' there too, at not far shy of 200kg.

Any of those would be a nice machine to have by the looks of things.
Best of luck and hope you get yourself sorted out with a new beastie, soon as poss ! 8)

 

[wizer]

I really think you should look for 2nd hand. I am a massive fan of Jet machinery and I am certain it will be a good machine. But in the current climate, your pounds go much further when buying 2nd hand. Just keep an eye on eBay. Scan it every few days and eventually you'll find a bargain. You won't necessarily have to convert a 3phase machine, single phases come up often. Also keep an eye out for local ads and auctions.

 

[penman]

Hi
I use the Record CL4 VS which I have found to be very robust. I use it for everything from pens to 18" platters with no vibration problems at all.
Also there is a faultless backup from Record.

Malcolm

 

[robo hippy]

For true variable speed and torque at all speed levels, you can't beat 3 phase motors. A DC motor is a fairly close second. The Reeves drive (what we call it over here) on the Jet is way down on the list. Slightly more convenient than changing the belts by hand, but tends to need more maintenance. Also, I have always thought that the motor on that Jet is on backwards. The intake for cooling is right behind where you are sanding, and a lot of the dust will be sucked into the fan. I also found it to be in the way of some natural edge bowls that I have turned. I don't know what your pockets will allow, but a Nova DVR and the Jet 16, either 1 1/2 hp or 2 hp are nice lathes as well.
robo hippy

 

[big soft moose]

If I wanted to go the three phase and inverter route i would almost certainly go for the LRE variturn graduate shortbed - however i cant afford it , and although i looked at buying a standard graduate second hand and adding an inverter by the time i had bought the inverter and done all the necessary mods i would also be over budget (and thats assuming that the second hand graduate doesnt need any other work).

thus while i agree that 3 phase and inverter is likely the best for truly variable speed it is not something that i can afford at this time.

Also while i'm sure there are some great second hand bargains out there , if i'm going to spend nearly a k ( which is a lot of money to me - best part of half a months wage) i want the reassurance that comes from buying new and having a waranty and after sales service if there are problems

The cone drive system on the Jet is pretty much the same as that on my M900 and that has done 8 years without fault so i'm not too woried about the longlevity of the system. I'm also not worried about the sanding / motor issue as i make a habit of sucking the engine with a wandering lead on the dust extractor at the end of every session.

I find myself leaning more towards the Jet as although the axminster is more powerful i think i will find the lack of a swivelling head difficult to live with (after having that on the M900).

the record i'm sure is a good lathe - but i want something bulky and robust to damp out the vibration of turning heavy out of balance pieces and i'm not convinced that the CL4 has sufficient mass - The Record /Woodfast Maxi s look very good but are agian out of budget.

My next step is a trip over to axminster to see both the jet and the axy in the flesh ( I need to find out whether they have them at wycombe or if i actually need to go to axminster)

 

[shedhead]

The Jet 1442 is my lathe. It is a great lathe and touch wood i have not had any trouble from it, and it is over 2 years old.